β-Lapachone ameliorates lipotoxic cardiomyopathy in acyl CoA synthase transgenic mice.

Lipotoxic cardiomyopathy is caused by myocardial lipid accumulation and often occurs in patients with diabetes and obesity. This study investigated the effects of β-lapachone (β-lap), a natural compound that activates Sirt1 through elevation of the intracellular NAD+ level, on acyl CoA synthase (ACS) transgenic (Tg) mice, which have lipotoxic cardiomyopathy. Oral administration of β-lap to ACS Tg mice significantly attenuated heart failure and inhibited myocardial accumulation of triacylglycerol.

Developmental expression of Pitx2c in Xenopus trigeminal and profundal placodes.

Cranial placodes are thickenings of the embryonic head ectoderm that contribute to the paired sense organs and to the cephalic peripheral nervous system. Here we report the spatiotemporal expression pattern of transcription factor Pitx2c during Xenopus laevis cranial placode formation, focusing more specifically on key stages of trigeminal and profundal placode development. We also compare its expression to five genes that have been associated with development of these sensory placodes, namely Foxi1c, Islet1, NeuroD, Pax3, and Six1.

PICOT is a critical regulator of cardiac hypertrophy and cardiomyocyte contractility.

PICOT (PKC-interacting cousin of thioredoxin) was previously shown to inhibit the development of cardiac hypertrophy, concomitant with an increase in cardiomyocyte contractility. To explore the physiological function of PICOT in the hearts, we generated a PICOT-deficient mouse line by using a gene trap approach. PICOT(-/-) mice were embryonic lethal indicating that PICOT plays an essential role during embryogenesis, whereas PICOT(+/-) mice were viable with no apparent morphological defects.

Flavonoids purified from Rhus verniciflua Stokes actively inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells.

Many studies have suggested that dietary flavonoids are anticancer agents that induce the apoptosis of cancer cells. However, the effects of flavonoids on the induction of apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells are unclear. Previously, a flavonoid fraction, consisting mainly of protocatechuic acid, fustin, fisetin, sulfuretin, and butein, herein named RCMF (the RVS chloroform-methanol fraction), was prepared from a crude acetone extract of Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS).

Regulatory roles of conserved intergenic domains in vertebrate Dlx bigene clusters.

Dlx homeobox genes of vertebrates are generally arranged as three bigene clusters on distinct chromosomes. The Dlx1/Dlx2, Dlx5/Dlx6, and Dlx3/Dlx7 clusters likely originate from duplications of an ancestral Dlx gene pair. Overlaps in expression are often observed between genes from the different clusters.